Police officer who held the crowd during the murder of George Floyd was convicted of aiding and abetting the murder

(Trends Wide) — A Minnesota judge found former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter for his role in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, according to court documents filed Monday.

In a 177-page verdict, Judge Peter Cahill wrote that Thao “actively encouraged his three colleagues to hold Floyd in the dangerous prone position” contrary to his training that the position could cause fatal suffocation.

“Like bystanders, Thao was able to watch Floyd’s life slowly fade away as the restraint continued,” Cahill wrote in the verdict. “However, Thao made a conscious decision to take an active part in Floyd’s death: he stopped concerned bystanders and even prevented an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter from providing the medical help Floyd so desperately needed.”

The decision marks the end of a series of state and federal trials for the four former officers involved in the death of George Floyd, a videotaped murder that sparked worldwide protests against police violence against black people.

(Trends Wide) — A Minnesota judge found former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter for his role in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, according to court documents filed Monday.

In a 177-page verdict, Judge Peter Cahill wrote that Thao “actively encouraged his three colleagues to hold Floyd in the dangerous prone position” contrary to his training that the position could cause fatal suffocation.

“Like bystanders, Thao was able to watch Floyd’s life slowly fade away as the restraint continued,” Cahill wrote in the verdict. “However, Thao made a conscious decision to take an active part in Floyd’s death: he stopped concerned bystanders and even prevented an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter from providing the medical help Floyd so desperately needed.”

The decision marks the end of a series of state and federal trials for the four former officers involved in the death of George Floyd, a videotaped murder that sparked worldwide protests against police violence against black people.